Randall Carter Shares Experiences from Foley and Lardner

Big Law can feel like a fancy, intimidating party where everyone already knows the dress code, the handshake, and the name of the partner’s dog.
Randall Carter’s story is a reminder that there’s another way to enter the room: show up prepared, stay human, and let your background do some of the heavy lifting.

In an episode of The Path & The Practice (Foley & Lardner’s podcast), Carter talks about growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, going to Colgate for undergrad, and then reaching Harvard Law School after transferring from Northeasternplus what it was like to navigate the Big Law interview process and join Foley’s Boston office as a summer associate in litigation.
If you’ve ever wondered, “How do people actually land these rolesand what does the summer really look like?” this is the kind of perspective that turns vague anxiety into a game plan.

Who Is Randall Carter, and Why Are People Listening?

Carter isn’t presented as a mythical creature who emerged fully formed from a stack of Bluebook citations.
He’s described as someone with a real path: hometown roots, a clear educational journey, and work experience before law schoolall of which shape how he approaches interviews, professional relationships, and the day-to-day realities of a summer associate program.

That matters because Big Law hiring is not only about grades (although yes, grades are still doing a lot of push-ups behind the scenes).
Hiring is also about narrative: Can you explain your choices? Can you communicate like a future colleague? Do you understand what the work isand what the work is not?

The core themes from Carter’s Foley story

• Preparation beats panic. “Winging it” is not a strategy; it’s a personality trait that needs supervision.
• Authentic + polished isn’t a contradiction. It’s the professional sweet spot.
• Nonlinear paths can be a feature, not a bug. Prior jobs, life experience, and maturity can translate into calm performance under pressure.
• The summer is real work. Not just lunches and swagalthough nobody is mad about the swag.

Why “Authentic and Polished” Is the Real Interview Cheat Code

Carter’s interview takeawaybalancing authenticity with polishsounds simple until you try it in a callback interview while your brain is screaming,
“Don’t say something weird! Don’t say something weird! Don’t say something”

Here’s the trick: authenticity isn’t oversharing, and polish isn’t pretending to be a legal robot.
Authentic means your answers are true to your experience and values. Polished means you deliver those answers with structure, clarity, and professional judgment.
Together, they communicate: “You can put me in front of clients and coworkers, and everyone will survive.”

A practical way to build “authentic + polished” answers

1. Pick three anchor stories from your life (work, school, leadership, challenge).
2. Attach a skill to each story (writing, teamwork, judgment, persuasion, resilience).
3. Translate the story into the firm context (“Here’s how this would help me as a summer associate on real matters.”)
4. Practice out loud until it sounds like younot like you swallowed a career services handout.

You’re not trying to become someone else. You’re trying to become the most interview-ready version of yourself.
Think “upgraded operating system,” not “brand-new human.”

From Cambridge to Colgate to Harvard via Transfer: What That Path Signals

One detail that stands out in Carter’s profile is the law school transfer: he attended Northeastern for 1L and then transferred to Harvard Law School.
Without turning this into a “transfer or bust” fantasy (please don’t pick a law school assuming you’ll transferfuture you deserves better),
it’s worth noting what transferring typically implies about a candidate’s year-one performance: strong academics, strong focus, and the ability to execute a long-term plan under pressure.

Transfer processes are timeline-heavy and detail-heavy, and Harvard’s transfer information is explicit about the schedule and expectations.
In other words: it’s not “send vibes, receive acceptance.” It’s an organized, competitive process.
That kind of discipline tends to show up again in recruiting and professional life.

What transfers can teach you about Big Law recruiting

• Deadlines are not suggestions. They are traps for the unprepared.
• Your materials must match your story. Resume, transcript, writing sample, and interviews should point in the same direction.
• Relationships matter. References and recommendations are easier when you’ve built trust early.
• Momentum matters. When the market moves earlier, you want your narrative ready before you “need” it.

The Big Law Interview Process Is ChangingSo Your Strategy Has to Change Too

If you’ve heard the phrase “OCI,” you’ve probably also heard it whispered like it’s the single magical doorway into Big Law.
Reality check: the recruiting ecosystem has been shifting, and recent NALP reporting has highlighted a major move away from firms relying primarily on traditional on-campus interviewing.
Translation: direct applications, referrals, and other pathways are increasingly central.

That shift doesn’t mean OCI is irrelevant. It means you can’t treat recruiting like a once-a-year event.
You treat it like a season: preparation, timing, repetition, and smart outreach.

A recruiting playbook that fits the modern timeline

1) Build a “Why this firm?” answer that isn’t generic

“I like your collaborative culture” is the legal recruiting version of “I enjoy music.”
Instead, connect to something verifiable:
the firm’s practice strengths that match your interests, the structure of its summer program, the type of training offered, or the way work is assigned.

Example (better): “I’m drawn to litigation and want early reps on real research and drafting.
I also like programs that combine substantive assignments with structured feedback and trainingso I’m looking for a summer where I can improve fast.”

2) Prepare for the “walk me through your resume” moment like it’s a closing argument

This question isn’t small talkit’s your first writing sample, except spoken.
Keep it chronological, keep it tight, and end with a clear bridge to the role:
“And that’s what led me to pursue litigation and apply here.”

3) Make your answers skimmable (yes, even when spoken)

Interviewers are processing a lot: your content, your demeanor, your judgment, and whether you can communicate clearly.
Use a simple structure:

• Point: one sentence answer.
• Proof: a short story or example.
• Payoff: why it matters for the job.

4) Ask questions that reveal how the work actually happens

Don’t waste your shot on questions answered by the homepage.
Ask about mentorship, assignments, feedback, and the real rhythm of a summer.
When you do, you signal you’re thinking like a future colleaguenot a tourist.

Examples of strong questions:

• How do summer associates typically receive assignmentsopen market, coordinator, or a mix?
• What does “good work product” look like for a summer in this group?
• How do mentors and reviewers give feedback during the summer?
• What kinds of experiences help someone thrive in this office culture?

What “Summering at Foley” Looks Like (in Plain English)

Foley’s law-student recruiting materials describe a 10-week summer program that is meant to introduce students to real associate life:
substantive assignments, mentoring, training, networking, feedback, and opportunities to explore practice areas and pro bono projects.
The firm also describes a multi-day summer associate retreat in Chicago that brings together summer associates across offices.

If you read that and think, “So… it’s work and people?”yes. That’s the point.
Summer programs are partly evaluation and partly investment.
Firms want to see if you can do the work and if you can do the work with them.

Program elements that shape the day-to-day experience

• Open-market style assignment options: students can select projects aligned with interests (and learn to ask for work like a professional).
• Training sessions: including firm programs (like Foley Academy) and skills workshops such as legal writing.
• Ongoing feedback: informal feedback plus formal reviews.
• Real exposure: research, drafting, pro bono opportunities, and observational learning like hearings or meetings where available.
• Community + culture: local office events and firmwide networking, because law is a team sport (with fancier shoes).

“By the numbers” can matterbecause it shows scale

Foley also publishes snapshot program metrics (for one recent summer) showing how many students were hosted, how many offices participated,
and how many trainings and projects were completed. Numbers don’t tell the whole story, but they do hint at how structured (and busy) the summer can be.

How Carter’s Story Connects to Real Summer Associate Life

Carter’s episode description includes something many students are quietly desperate to understand:
what it feels like to go from “candidate” to “summer associate,” and how you make sense of the Big Law environment once you’re inside.
That’s where experience mattersespecially if you’ve worked before law school.

Prior work experience can give you an edge in ways that have nothing to do with legal knowledge:
responding to feedback without spiraling, tracking deadlines, writing clear emails, and reading a room.
Those are “soft skills,” but they’re only soft until they’re the reason a partner trusts you with something important.

The underrated summer-associate skills that separate “fine” from “future offer”

• Responsiveness: not instant replies, but reliable communication.
• Clarity: asking good questions before you disappear into research for 12 hours.
• Ownership: “Here’s what I found, here’s what I’m unsure about, and here’s what I’d do next.”
• Judgment: knowing what’s urgent, what’s sensitive, and what needs confirmation.
• Professional warmth: the ability to be pleasant without being performative.

Specific, Useful Takeaways for Law Students (and 0Ls Who Are Already Stress-Scrolling)

1) Treat recruiting like a project, not a vibe

Use a spreadsheet. Track deadlines. Log contacts. Draft your story points. Schedule mock interviews.
“Organization” is not just a personality traitit’s a professional signal.

2) Your narrative should explain your decisions, not apologize for them

Whether your path is traditional or not, the goal is coherence:
“Here’s where I started, here’s what I learned, and here’s why this firm and practice area make sense.”

3) Learn the assignment system before your first day

Some programs use a more open market approach; others are coordinator-driven; many are a mix.
Understanding the system helps you get the right variety of workand helps you avoid the classic summer associate mistake:
waiting politely for assignments until your calendar becomes a museum exhibit.

4) Ask for feedback early, not only at the end

Waiting until a formal review can be too late to improve.
A simple question after turning in work“Is there one thing you’d want me to do differently next time?”can change your whole summer.

5) Don’t confuse “polished” with “perfect”

Being polished means you’re prepared, thoughtful, and professional.
Perfect is imaginary. Also exhausting. Also suspicious.

6) Build relationships like you’re joining a community, not collecting business cards

The summer includes social events for a reason: people work with people they can communicate with.
Your goal isn’t to be the loudest person in the room. Your goal is to be the person others trust.

7) Remember what the summer is actually measuring

It’s not a final exam. It’s an extended audition for daily life as a junior associate:
quality of work, communication, reliability, and the ability to learn fast.

Conclusion: The Point Isn’t to Copy CarterIt’s to Copy the Principles

Randall Carter’s Foley story stands out because it’s grounded in real steps: a clear educational path, the decision to transfer,
the courage to interview into Big Law, and the discipline to prepare while staying authentic.
Whether your background looks similar or wildly different, the blueprint is the same:
know your story, practice your delivery, and treat professionalism as a skill you can build.

Big Law will always have its intimidating partssome of them are literally wearing expensive suits.
But Carter’s experience highlights something more practical than intimidation: the process rewards preparation, maturity, and clarity.
If you bring those, you don’t need to be the loudest voice in the room. You just need to be ready when it’s your turn to speak.

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500+ WORDS ADD-ON (EXPERIENCES RELATED TO THE TOPIC)
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Extended Experiences Addendum: What a Foley Summer Can Feel Like (500+ Words)

Let’s zoom in on the “experience” partbecause when people hear “summer associate,” they picture one of two extremes:
(1) endless document review in a windowless room, or (2) being gently escorted from baseball game to cocktail reception like a prized orchid.
Real life is usually more interesting (and more useful) than either stereotype.

Based on how Foley describes its summer program structurereal assignments, an open-market style system, mentoring, training, ongoing feedback,
office events, and a firmwide retreatthe summer experience often becomes a fast-paced learning loop:
get an assignment → clarify expectations → produce work → receive feedback → improve.
If you connect that loop to Carter’s emphasis on preparation and authenticity, you can imagine the daily mindset that makes the summer go well:
show up ready, ask smart questions, and communicate like a professional who wants to get better.

In the first week, many summers describe the same emotional cocktail: excitement, fear, and a sudden urge to re-read every email five times.
Orientation and early trainings can reduce the “culture shock” by making expectations explicithow to format research, how to manage time,
how to use firm tools, and how to communicate upward. That’s where being “polished” helps: not because you never make mistakes,
but because you can adapt quickly when you do.

Then the assignments begin. In an open-market style environment, you may have opportunities to choose projects based on interest.
That sounds fun until you realize you also have to ask for work and follow up appropriately.
This is where authenticity matters. Instead of pretending you’re equally passionate about every practice area on Earth,
you can say something like: “I’m exploring litigation broadly, but I’m especially curious about research-and-writing heavy projects.
If you have anything in that lane, I’d love to help.” That’s honest, specific, and useful.

Over the weeks, the experience often expands beyond research memos.
Firms describe summer assignments that can include drafting documents, supporting pro bono matters,
and sometimes observing or shadowinglike attending depositions or hearings when appropriate.
Even when you’re not “doing the big dramatic courtroom moment,” you’re learning what the work actually is:
careful thinking, clear writing, and communication that prevents problems before they happen.

Feedback is where the summer becomes either a glow-up montage or a slow-motion panic.
The best approach is to treat feedback like a coach’s notes, not a personal attack.
A comment like “tighten the rule statement” isn’t an insultit’s a map.
If you respond with calm curiosity (“Got itcan you show me a strong example so I can match the style?”),
you’re demonstrating the exact trait firms want in new associates: the ability to improve quickly without drama.

And yes, there’s also the relationship side. Office events and the firmwide retreat exist because work happens through people.
You meet associates who can give you the “here’s what I wish I’d known” version of the job.
You meet partners who want to know if you can communicate clearly and handle responsibility.
You also meet other summers and realize everyone is nervous, just in different fonts.
If you bring the Carter-style balanceprepared and authenticyou don’t have to perform.
You just have to be someone others can picture working with on a deadline when the stakes are real.

By the end of the summer, the most valuable “experience” isn’t the nicest dinner or the coolest skyline photo.
It’s the internal shift: you start thinking like a practicing lawyer.
You’re not just learning legal rulesyou’re learning professional judgment, client-awareness, and how to turn feedback into better work.
That’s the experience Carter’s episode description points toward: a summer that rewards readiness, honesty, and steady growth.